By Michael McAllister
The third session of the EYBL concluded over the weekend in Dallas, Texas. CIA Bounce continued their dominance, going 5-0 for the weekend and moving to 14-0 overall. Dakari Johnson from E1T1 continued his great play, and some younger Syracuse targets gained some experience as well. The Orange had several targets from the 2013, 2014, and even 2015 class participate in the event. Here's a look at how each faired over the weekend.
Dakari Johnson - 2014 Center - E1T1
Dakari Johnson has been maybe the best player in the entire EYBL. In the first session, he averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. In the second session, he averaged 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. He continued to improve in the third session, averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block per game while shooting over 52% from the floor. Johnson has been nearly unguardable inside, and has proven to be a strong, physical presence.
Tyler Ennis - 2013 Point-Guard - CIA Bounce
Ennis is the 2013 prospect the Syracuse staff is working the hardest on. He has performed very well in the EYBL, and session three was no different. As the starting point-guard on the only undefeated team in EYBL play, Ennis averaged 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and only 2 turnovers per game. He shot very well from the floor overall, including 58% from beyond the arc (7-12). Ennis played under control, took care of the ball, and didn't force anything. He showed excellent court vision, and good leadership.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes - 2014 Guard - CIA Bounce
Rathan-Mayes continued his hot shooting. He shot 50% from the floor, and made 13 out of 28 three-point attempts in the third session. He averaged 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game. Rathan-Mayes is a lethal shooter, and displayed solid defense as well. Syracuse started showing interest within the last few weeks.
Theo Pinson - 2014 Forward - Chris Paul All-Stars
Pinson is an intriguing prospect. He has the offensive game to do everything on the floor, and is the long, lean forward type Syracuse covets. He was extremely solid in the third session, continuing his good play from previous EYBL events. Pinson averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals per game while shooting 50% from the floor. His outside shot wasn't falling, however, as he made only one out of seven attempts. Still, Pinson's athletic ability, and knack for scoring was on full display.
JaQuel Richmond - 2014 Point-Guard - Chris Paul All-Stars
Richmond continued to struggle in the third session. He has shot the ball poorly in the first two sessions, and that improved slightly in Dallas. He shot 44% from the floor, while averaging 7 points and 4 assists per game. While Richmond is still considered a very good prospect, his play in the EYBL could be a concern.
Youssoupha Kane - 2013 Center - Chris Paul All-Stars
We profiled Kane in a recent interview with his assistant coach, and mentioned he was a rising prospect. He got his first taste of EYBL play this weekend, and had a solid showing despite limited minutes. He had an 8 point, 4 rebound performance on 3-4 shooting in his team's second game. Kane showed the ability to run the floor, get solid rebounding position, and hold his own inside. He could still use some added strength, bulk, and a more polished offensive game. Other than his 3/4 shooting performance, he was 0-6 the rest of the weekend.
Wayne Selden - 2014 Guard - BABC
Selden's session three numbers would suggest he struggled shooting the ball. He averaged only 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting under 40% from the floor. However, the percentage is skewed by his 1-10 performance in BABC's second game. For the rest of the weekend, he shot over 50%. Selden had a solid session overall, and finished with his best performance. In a 57-54 win over Team Final, Selden scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while making two out of three from beyond the arc.
Goodluck Okonoboh - 2013 Center - BABC
Goodluck had been struggling mightily in the first two sessions. He redeemed himself to some extent with a solid performance. Goodluck didn't do anything to stand out as an elite player, but held his own. He averaged 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. He shot 67% from the floor.
Jaylen Brantley - 2013 Point-Guard - BABC
Jaylen Brantley had an exceptional weekend. He averaged 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal per game, while shooting nearly 50% from beyond the arc. He had a 28 point explosion in his team's second game, where he was 7-12 from beyond the arc.
Rondae Jefferson - 2013 Forward - Team Final
Jefferson had an average session shooting the ball, but continued to show his versatility by filling up the stat sheet. He averaged 9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks per game. He does a little bit of everything on the floor, and can contribute in a variety of ways without shooting well.
Davon Reed - 2013 Guard - Team Final
Reed continued to struggle in EYBL play. He shot under 30% from the floor again, and made only two out of nine shots from beyond the arc. He did, however, show solid defense, averaging 3 steals and 1 block per game.
Chinonso Obokoh - 2013 Center - Albany City Rocks
Obokoh had a nice session, but shot the ball slightly worse than you'd hope for a guy who plays around the basket. He shot 46% from the floor, but averaged 5 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. Obokoh has opened some eyes in EYBL play, showing the ability to hold his own against elite big men.
Stanley Johnson - 2014 Forward - Oakland Soldiers
Johnson had a very good session, and continues to show well against elite talent. He averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal per game, including a 35 point, 10 rebound explosion in his first game. Johnson is another long, lean forward prospect who is very gifted offensively. He's a good, not great, outside shooter, but is very good attacking the rim.
Ishmail Wainright - 2013 Forward - Team Takeover
Wainright had a solid session, averaging 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. He only shot 41% from the field, but is extremely athletic. He has a knack for rebounding the ball, and the court vision to be able to play a point-forward type of role. Wainright isn't going to light it up from the outside, but he can hit open shots, as he went 2-5 from three-point range over the weekend.
Stanford Robinson - 2013 Forward - Team Takeover
Robinson shot the ball extremely efficiently, making 55% of his attempts. He averaged 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. It's important to note that Team Takeover is very talented, and often has several players in double figures. Robinson is a good shooter, another long forward who is athletic and talented. He works hard on the defensive end of the floor, and is very good in transition.
BeeJay Anya - 2013 Center - Team Takeover
BeeJay Anya had his best session scoring the ball. He averaged nearly 8 points per game while shooting 47% from the floor. The concern is he only grabbed 3 rebounds per game. Anya did block 2 shots per game, however, and proved to be a solid force defensively. His rebounding should be an area he works to improve if he's going to be an elite player at the next level. Anya's size and strength created problems for his opponents, but he has to translate that into grabbing rebounds as well.
Phil Booth - 2014 Guard - Team Takeover
Booth saw very limited action. In 3 games, he played a total of 16 minutes. He didn't attempt a single shot from the floor, and scored a total of 2 points with 2 rebounds over the weekend.
Isaiah Briscoe - 2015 Point-Guard - NJ Playaz
Briscoe, a 2015 prospect, played very well against the older opponents. He showed why he's considered an elite prospect, with his quick first step and ability to score. He averaged 8 points and 2 rebounds per game, but only 1 assist. He must develop his court vision and learn to get others involved as a point-guard. But it was encouraging to see him play well being so young. He finished the session with his best performance, a 13 point, 2 steal effort in an 84-73 win.
Like Nation of Orange on Facebook
Follow Nation of Orange on Twitter
